Love, Pain and Feathers
by Hiding in a Dream
Summary: AU Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal, and Zack are high school students. There's a new transfer at the beginning of the year and the group of lovers want a new partner. Luckily for them, Cloud seems to fit the bill. But what's he hiding? And what's with his brothers? A SxGxCxAxZ cuz I'm making my other fic a SxCxG and AxZ. This is yaoi/shounen ai
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except for my plot ideas.

Chapter 1

Love: such a vague dream. Hate: such a pointless emotion. Cloud looked up at the sky, heedless of the droplets painting his face. There really was no point in anything. Shaking his head, the thin boy stood up and surveyed his surroundings. He had no more purpose in this city; he should leave. Or perhaps that was just his way of justifying his cowardice. No matter. In a flash of bright blue eyes and black and white feathers, the slim figure that stood alone in the rain was gone.

* * *

"Morning, Seph!" Zack jumped forward and hung off the silver haired boy's shoulders. It was the first day of school and Zack was _hyper_.

"Zack! You know you can't jump him in the morning!" Angeal cried. He rushed forward to pull the clingy puppy away from the intimidating student. His redheaded companion snorted.

"Yeah, Zack. The queen needs his candy or else he'll go ballistic. Hah, remember the chick last week? He ripped her a new one for brushing past him on the street during one of his moods."

"I did no such thing and you will hand over that sugary creation in your hands immediately, Genesis!" Sephiroth commanded. Genesis laughed but handed over the piece of candy. He had no desire to meet his grandparents in the Lifestream before his time. Meanwhile, Zack had escaped the clutches of Angeal and had found safety in flirting with a few girls in their grade. Sephiroth tapped Genesis' shoulder and pulled the attention of his three lovers to him.

"Let's go. The bell will ring soon," Sephiroth told them. Zack bid his 'friends' goodbye and trotted after the trio.

"I heard there's a new transfer today!" he exclaimed.

"Is it a he or a she?" Genesis asked curiously. He didn't really care since he was bi and in a relationship but it was always nice to find a new toy to play with.

"_He_ is a guy and apparently pretty good looking. Of course, I can't say if that's true seeing how they find that old man over there hot." Angeal huffed in mock offense at the good natured joke but kept quiet. "The new kid's a blondie, too. I know how much you love those." Zack grinned. He considered Sephiroth a blond and the four of them were dating. Of course, Genesis was a bit of a free spirit and tended to flirt with anything on two legs, regardless of his relationship(s). Zack was the same. Genesis shot him a sultry look and clung to Sephiroth's arm.

By now, the four were in their homeroom class. Just in time, too. They headed to their respective seats in the back row and sat down just as the bell rang.

"Hah! Four love letters in less than five minutes!" Zack whispered to Genesis.

"Suck it, bitch. I got five," he laughed. Every morning since the first day of high school, the four students found a pile of love letters confessing deep feelings of infatuation for them on their desks. They had learned a long time ago to ignore the content of the letters but enjoyed comparing their popularity. At the top was Sephiroth. Genesis followed second, with Zack and Angeal as the respective third and fourth. The first day of school was a bit slow but more letters appeared over the course of the school year so Zack wasn't worried about his popularity falling.

"Guess what?" Mr. Loire bubbled to his class.

"Chicken butt," Genesis snickered to Zack.

"We have a new student joining us this year. Please come in Mr. Strife," their homeroom teacher, Mr. Loire, called out. The door slid open and in stepped a young blond. His eyes were a bright, impossible blue and shone from under golden lashes. His pale skin contrasted quite nicely with his black ensemble and he had an earring in the shape of a snarling wolf in his left ear.

"Please introduce yourself. Your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies and number of siblings would be wonderful." The blond shot a glance at the strangely upbeat man but turned his attention to the class.

"My name is Cloud Strife," he began. His voice was low but strangely musical. /It's pleasant to listen to. / Genesis thought. "I don't really like anything in particular nor do I dislike anything to the point that it is unbearable. I would prefer not to tell a room of strangers my hobbies and I have three younger brothers who attend a different school," he said curtly but respectfully. Mr. Loire blinked in surprise but quickly regained his good humor.

"All right then. Let's get you a seat, shall we? Hm, I think that seat in front of Sephiroth is free. Please raise your hand Sephiroth." The silver haired boy waved lazily as his eyes roamed the blonde's face. The new kid looked back coolly and took his seat. Mr. Loire, ever the responsible teacher, informed the class that he needed to step out for a bit and left.

Immediately, Zack shot out of his seat and placed himself by the new student's desk. "Hey there! I'm Zack Fair! Nice to meetcha! You were lying about not liking anything, right? Cuz that's impossible, right? This is Angeal! He's one of my boyfriends. Oh and this is Sephiroth and Genesis. Sephiroth's pretty uptight at first but he's a good guy. Genesis is a huge flirt even though he's going out with us. We're all going out with each other. Some people think it's weird but we all love each other so it's fine. Are you single? I'm sure you're not. Anyone with your face should have at least a hundred girls after him. Or guys. Whichever way you swing. Most people here are bi, though," Zack babbled. Cloud raised an eyebrow and turned away.

"I would appreciate some space."

"Oh, sorry about that. I'm just excited. We haven't had a new student in forever," Zack apologized, not deterred by Cloud's unfriendly response. Cloud ignored him and lay his head down to sleep.

"You know, it's not very nice to ignore someone when they're talking to you." Genesis remarked. "You homophobic or something?" he hissed dangerously. Cloud lifted his head and fixed him with a cold look. It wasn't quite a glare and he hadn't changed his expression all that much since entering the classroom.

"It's none of my business what you are but I would like for you to leave me alone," he replied and leaned back in his chair, cool gaze challenging Genesis. Zack chose to ignore the pointless arguing and went back to badgering Cloud who casually ignored him. When the bell rang, Zack changed the subject to classes.

"You don't have to leave the classroom. We have a weird thing here where the teachers change classes while we all stay in one class. It's cool huh? We'll be classmates for every class!" he rambled. Cloud didn't look very happy with this turn of events but kept his expression blank so Sephiroth wasn't sure if he had imagined the flicker of vague annoyance.

* * *

They had four classes a day, five on Wednesday, and Biology was first for their class.

"Please take your seats, class. I am your teacher, Ms. Trepe. I'll be your biology teacher and I expect you to follow my rules. Anyone who has an issue with this will be given detention," their teacher announced. Her eyes looked over the class, daring someone to speak up. When no one did, she continued. "I expect the best from you and I will expect no less. Therefore, you will be having a biology project to prove your competence. It will be due on the first Monday of the next month. I want a twenty five page report on any subject related to biology as well as a visual presentation. Is that clear? You may work in groups of five." The class groaned but quickly shut up when she glared. "You have the rest of the period to choose your partners and discuss ideas."

Again, Zack walked over to Cloud's desk. "Let's work together, yeah? We need another person and you don't know anyone so you can join our group!" Zack said happily. Cloud looked at Zack with a little surprise but shrugged. "Hah! Told you he would accept, Gen!" Zack cheered, quieting down when the teacher looked over in their direction.

"It'll be a pleasure working with you," Genesis purred. He had given a pretty bad impression and hoped to fix that. He would need to if he wanted his toy. Cloud just grunted and turned to face the four.

"What should the subject be?" Angeal asked.

"Sex!" Genesis called out.

"No! Let's do something about animals or something! Something cute and fluffy!" Zack protested.

"What about birds, then?" a quiet voice interrupted. Four pairs of eyes turned to look at Cloud.

"You like birds?" Zack grinned at the unexpectedly cute side of the sullen blond.

"They're okay," Cloud muttered, regretting speaking up at all.

"Alright," Angeal agreed. "Where should we meet? It'd be nice to meet today. I know Seph's parents are having that business dinner so that's a no. I can't either. You guys?" Sephiroth stayed quiet, content to suck on the piece of candy a girl had given to him before class.

"Um, I still haven't cleaned my house since the party last night so it still smells like alcohol and it's covered in trash…" Zack muttered sheepishly.

"My folks are refurbishing or some other shit," Genesis informed them.

"…. Cloud?" Angeal prodded.

"….. Whatever."

"To Cloudy's house it is! Are you walking? We could give you a ride?" Zack offered.

"I don't need it. My brother's are bringing my bike over after school," Cloud murmured. He turned away to ignore the others and went back to doodling on his paper. The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

* * *

The rest of the day flew by and it was the end of school. Just like Cloud said, his brothers were waiting for him at the school gates.

"Nii-san!" Three black and silver shapes threw themselves at the young blond. Amused, the four students watched their sullen partner get glomped by three excitable teens.

"Nii-san! We brought your bike! I rode it over!" the one with chin-length hair bubbled.

"Kadaj cheated! He took it while we weren't looking! I wanted to ride it!" the buff one cried

"Are these your friends, nii-san?" the one with long hair asked. Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal, and Zack stared. They hadn't been expecting such hyper younger brothers, seeing how cold the eldest was. Zack cleared his throat and slapped a grin back on his face.

"Yup, we're Cloud's friends. Are you guys his bros?" he chatted. The smallest one with chin-length hair looked up from Cloud's chest.

"You have friends, Cloud? But you never introduced them to us!" he cried. Cloud's eyes softened and he patted his brother's head.

"I met them today, Kadaj."

"Oh, that's okay then," he declared.

"The one hanging off nii-san is Kadaj. He's Loz and I'm Yazoo. It's a pleasure to meet you," Yazoo murmured.

"I'm Zack! The sourpuss with silver hair like you guys is Sephiroth. That's Genesis and Angeal." Kadaj detached himself and looked at them.

"I don't like you guys," he announced. "Nii-san is ours." Taken aback, Zack glanced at the others for help.

"Hush, Kadaj. They're working with me on a project so they're coming home with us today." Cloud told his younger brother.

"Then they're just project partners? You promise?" Kadaj asked. When Cloud nodded, Kadaj hugged his brother again, sticking his tongue out at the four shocked teens over Cloud's shoulder. "Let's go, nii-san! They're coming separately, right?" Kadaj pulled his brother to a mean, black bike and straddled it behind Cloud. He hugged Cloud's waist and nuzzled his shoulder.

"You can follow our bikes. Let's go nii-san," Yazoo purred. Cloud didn't seem to completely understand the purpose of the sultry tone his brother used on him or the excessive touching from Kadaj and just nodded. Sephiroth and Angeal nodded and dragged a stunned Zack and Genesis to Sephiroth's car.

In the car, Genesis and Zack cried out together. "Did you _hear_ how they talked about Cloud? Do you think they're _doing_ him?"

Angeal and Sephiroth highly doubted that, since Cloud didn't seem to return the affection but both shrugged just to agitate their lovers.

**AN:** I know I really shouldn't be starting another story so soon but the plot bunnies wouldn't leave me alone! I swear, they're little stalkers that follow me EVERYWHERE. Anyways, hope you guys don't completely hate this one :P 2,000-ish words for this one! Now, if only I could do that with my other story…. I guess I'll just update this one a bit slower.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Do you seriously think I'd be here if I owned anything noteworthy?

Chapter 2

Cloud's house wasn't anything special. It looked exactly like every other house on the street. In fact, it was so normal that it was slightly unnerving. It felt as if the house was hiding something. Cloud led them to the driveway, parking his motorcycle. Yazoo and Loz followed and mimicked his action while Sephiroth parked on the street.

"So this is your house, huh? It's a lot different from what I imagined. Ya know, I thought there'd be more emo vibes since you're such a bundle of angst. Ah, don't worry. I like that and you're nothing compared to Seph on a bad day without sugar," Zack commented. Kadaj shot him a glare before turning back to his older brother.

"Let's go inside, nii-san. I think Cid said he'd be home early today so he'll be here soon." Cloud glanced at Kadaj but complied.

"Who's Cid?" Genesis asked casually.

"Genesis! It's rude to pry," Angeal admonished.

"It's alright. Cid is our guardian. He took us in when we were younger," Yazoo replied offhandedly. "Just dump your stuff on the couch or something." Zack and Genesis tossed their bags on the offered couch but Angeal and Sephiroth set theirs down a bit more gently off on the side.

"So what bird should we choose for the project and what specifically do you want to talk about?" Angeal started.

"Noooo! Angeal, we just got out of school! Let's talk or something for a bit," Zack whined.

"How sloppy," Kadaj sneered. Sephiroth looked over at the antagonizing teen.

"Not necessarily. He pretty good and never leaves you dissatisfied," he responded. Kadaj flushed and gaped in a mixture of shock and horror at the innuendos before hurling himself at Cloud.

"Nii-san!"

Cloud, who had been returning with a bottle of water, dropped his water and found himself with an armful of a distraught Kadaj. "The silver haired one's being dirty." Loz provided. Cloud blinked and looked at Sephiroth with a hint of curiosity in those normally cold eyes.

Sephiroth shrugged in response. "I was just correcting your sibling on some of Zack's finer points of behavior." Cloud raised an eyebrow but his attention was brought back to his little brother who was clutching his shirt like a child.

"…. Just ignore them. I already know how they are," Cloud reassured his brother. Zack sputtered in protest and Sephiroth raised an eyebrow but the blond chose to ignore them in favor of his siblings. "Can you take Kadaj upstairs and entertain him while I work down here?" In response, Loz and Yazoo came forward and pulled away a pouting Kadaj.

"We'll be in my room," Yazoo murmured. "Yell if you need something."

"From what I have seen of his behavior, I highly doubt he will cry out even if he were to be held at gunpoint," Sephiroth commented. Kadaj glared at him before flouncing up the stairs, his brothers following silently.

"Complicated family you have there," Genesis observed.

"Is it?" Cloud said absently, busy pulling out his books and turning on his laptop.

"Well, who's Cid? From what I heard, it doesn't seem like he's your father. And your brothers don't really look like you," Zack provided. Angeal merely groaned at the tactless pair.

"He's our guardian. He picked us up. And I'm not related to anyone in this… family. Neither is Cid," Cloud replied. "What bird are we going to use?"

"We're not experts. Perhaps you'd like to choose?" Angeal offered. Sephiroth and Genesis snorted at Angeal's gentlemanly manners but quickly shut up when he glared at the two.

"… How about an Osprey?" Cloud suggested. /So he likes those. Sexy. / Genesis smirked and filed that little tidbit away for future use. Cloud ignored Zack's pestering and began working. Occasionally, Angeal would comment on a little tidbit but the house was silent for the most part. Fortunately, for the bored puppy, Cloud's guardian arrived soon.

"Get your asses out here and help with these damn bags!" a rough voice roared. Alarmed, Angeal looked up from the research and got up. Cloud let out a small sigh before setting his laptop aside and heading for the door.

"About damn time! Where're those little buggers? Tell 'em to get their silver asses down here. I dropped by the market on the way here and I'm fucking exhausted," a blond man groused upon entering. Cloud merely nodded and headed upstairs, neglecting to warn the man about his acquaintances in the other room.

Perhaps this was why the man froze in the entryway of the living room before dropping his cigarette and grabbing a spear that the four had originally thought was pure decoration.

"Who the hell are you? More of Hojo's pet Turks?" he growled. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow while Angeal and Zack looked decidedly worried. Genesis eyed the weapon but spoke up.

"I have no idea what a 'Hojo' is. Would you mind putting that thing elsewhere... Sir?" he asked nervously. Luckily, Cloud was back and grabbed the paranoid man's arm.

"You're getting old, Cid. They're acquaintances from school," he muttered.

"I'm only thirty ya idiot! And since when did you become such a social butterfly? They friends or your little boyfriends?" The last part was added on curiously.

"They're not friends and obviously not my lovers. Those things are completely unnecessary and a waste of time. They're here for a project," Cloud sighed. By now, the trio of silver haired brothers had arrived and watched the squirming teens in the living room with amusement. Kadaj smirked at Sephiroth when Cloud told Cid how meaningless friends and lovers were before grabbing Cloud's sleeve and tugging.

"Let's get the groceries, nii-san."

When the siblings left, Cid sheepishly turned to the stunned students and set his spear aside. "Ah, sorry about that. I'm the brats' guardian. I was just surprised since those kids prefer to be alone and usually don't bother with anyone who's not one of them. Although it's mostly Cloud who's the lone wolf. The silver haired brats are…. better when it comes to being social." Angeal recovered first and smiled graciously, ignoring the nagging thought that the man was hiding something.

"It's fine, sir. It's a pleasure."

xox

To Kadaj's displeasure, Cid got along quite well with them. Introductions were made while Cloud ignored them and worked on the project with Angeal and, occasionally, Sephiroth's help.

"Damn, it's getting kinda late," Cid commented. It was almost six and they hadn't eaten yet. "What do ya want for dinner?"

"You know you're not allowed in the kitchen, Cid," Cloud said automatically. He closed his laptop and sighed. "Stay here." He silently padded into the kitchen and got to work.

"I wonder when he'll take that stick out of his ass. He even acted like that when he was a kid," Cid growled. Interest piqued, Zack and Genesis looked at Cid.

"Was he always like this?" Angeal wondered.

"Hell yeah. Well, I guess I've only known him for five years but he's acted like a prick the entire time."

"Nii-san isn't a prick!" Loz and Kadaj growled together.

"He's been looking after us the best he could even when those basta-" Yazoo clamped a hand around Loz's mouth and shot a look at Kadaj before the pair could continue.

"He's been a good brother. Circumstances weren't the best but he dealt with it the best he could for us," Yazoo provided, glancing over at Cloud to make sure he hadn't heard the outburst. Zack looked more curious than before and opened his mouth to speak but a sharp jab to the side from Angeal shut him up.

"So Cid adopted you guys?" Angeal asked, trying to find another topic even though he was curious as well.

"You could say that. I think we were doing fine on our own, though," Loz said stubbornly. The story was interrupted when Cloud banged a pot with a ladle.

"Dinner's ready," he muttered.

"A guy who can cook! That's hot. Girls like that, although I gotta say I find that sexy, too," Genesis grinned. Cloud stared for a second before his cheeks reddened ever so slightly. He tried to replace it with a cold glare before he turned away. On the other hand, Cloud's younger siblings looked ready to murder the redhead. Even quiet, respectful Yazoo looked like he was about to castrate Genesis. Cid chuckled.

**AN:** Yeah I know I should update my other fic but I think I found a new obsession with this one… Don't worry, I'll continue the other one. Um I dunno how this turned out…. Kinda short and uh…. Whatever. Anyways: Thanks for the reviews OwO Didn't expect them so soon. Oh yeah, anyone know what birds? I do! Anyways, that was just a thing to show Cloud's personality and a hint at his secret….. Sorry if it's cheesy. **I changed the bird cuz i noticed the feathers didn't really fit. Ospreys are a better fit...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but my little plot ideas.

Chapter 3

I am here, lying on this table, stripped of basic human dignity, stripped of the right to live. Lying here waiting; they come. New marks, more broken limbs. The world revolves, burning an everlasting green. It's a strange color. Presents so much and appears wherever I go… not that I am allowed to anywhere out of the lab. A symbol of Life (Pain), a New Start (the End of All he knew). What a curious color.

I must be hallucinating now. I can't feel it anymore. They seem to realize… Guess I was too obvious this time. New pain, more agony. I pray that someone will end it. But that's just a dream. I know I'm trapped. Ah, he noticed again. Scalpels dig into my wings; tearing delicate tissue, removing small bits of flesh and clumps of feathers for analysis. But I just heal. I wish I couldn't. He doesn't touch the mortally wounded and dying. They need them healthy. Otherwise, it'll be a waste of funds and material, right? He seems annoyed. Ah, we're done for today. My screams fade and my head falls back to hit the cold metal, my limbs shivering. Luckily, everything fades away into black. It's too bad there'll be more next time I wake.

xox

"Nii-san?" It was well into the night and most people on this side of the world were sleeping. Soon after the meal, Genesis had yelled something about his parents finding the porn he hid in the ceiling and dragged the others off with him. Cloud had washed up and gone to bed directly after the departure of the hectic lovers with the rest of the house. However, it seemed that not everyone was still asleep.

"Are you awake, nii-san? We had nightmares and we were wondering if we could sleep with you…" When no reply was made, the brothers opened the black door.

Cloud's room was simple with little color. The walls to the west and east were black while the other two were stark white. The ceiling and floor were checkered black and white like a chess board. The room was empty except for a bed and a desk burdened with piles of homework and textbooks in the opposite corners of the room. A lone window framed the moon directly above the bed. Currently, a figure was thrashing around in the black sheets.

"Nii-san!" Loz and Kadaj cried. The trio rushed forward to their flailing older brother.

"Shhh…. It's okay, nii-san. We're here," Kadaj crooned. Neon blue eyes shot open and feathers flew everywhere as Cloud scooted away in alarm before recognizing his little siblings. His shoulders relaxed and he slumped back onto the mattress.

"Ah, Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo…. Why aren't you in bed?" he wondered, his previous fear hidden away behind his cold exterior.

"We had nightmares… Are you alright?" Yazoo inquired carefully, hoping his brother would open up. Cloud nodded before noticing the time. His eyebrows knit together into the smallest of frowns before he pulled his sheets back to let his brothers in. It was for this reason that he had bought such a large bed. Kadaj gleefully leapt into the bed, scattering feathers. Loz pouted before finding room on Cloud's left side and jumping under the covers. Yazoo smiled gently and followed a bit more calmly.

"Thanks, nii-san," he murmured. Cloud glanced at him before shrugging and closing his eyes.

"You know I'm always here if you need me."

xox

"C-L-O-U-D-Y!" Cloud turned back the door to find his arms full of excited puppy and pouting Genesis. He blinked at them before dropping them and backing away.

"Awww… That was mean!" Zack cried. Genesis dusted himself off before jumping at the poor boy again.

"I'm sorry I had to leave so early yesterday! My parents found my 'stash' and were so pissed. Well, my mom was. My dad actually didn't mind so much. He laughed his ass off at me, though. Anyways! I suck Ifrit's balls for abandoning you. Well, no I don't. I only suck Sephiroth and occasionally, but not often, Angeal's balls. Zack's always uke. Back to the subject; will you ever find it in yourself to forgive me?" he whimpered. Sephiroth appeared in the doorway and grabbed the back of Genesis' shirt.

"Calm down. Perhaps we should start calling _you_ puppy?"

"Excuse me? I will not accept any nicknames that insinuate I am some sort of smelly animal!" he pouted. Angeal just sighed.

"What's a 'stash'?" Cloud asked Genesis. Four pairs of eyes flew to his face, confusion and slight horror visible in their expressions.

"Uh, you aren't serious right?" Zack asked nervously. "I mean, even Sephiroth has some."

"I rarely joke," Cloud deadpanned.

"…. Well, my innocent Chocobo, a stash is basically a collection of porn," Genesis explained.

"Porn?" Cloud tilted his head cutely to the side in confusion. "You said something about that yesterday as well."

"…." The four glanced at each other before Zack decided to intervene.

"It's nothing, Cloud! Let's sit together, today! Yeah?" Cloud raised an eyebrow before he muttered 'Whatever' and headed for a seat near the back corner.

"Oh sweet Shiva. He just gets cuter and cuter. Seriously, what kind of healthy teenage male doesn't own anything indecent?" Genesis sighed. Zack shook his head at the mystery before heading off to annoy/distract Cloud who was currently watching a pair of giggling girls flirt with him with cold, unfriendly eyes.

xox

Lunch couldn't come fast enough for Zack. He was bored, his stomach was turning into a raging beast, and his butt and brain was numb from class.

"Hell yeah! Let's sit together, Cloud! You ran off kinda fast yesterday but you're free today, right? I'll take that look as a yes." Genesis and Sephiroth inwardly cheered at Zack's forwardness.

In the end, Cloud was dragged along with them and ended up sitting in the middle of the lunch room. Sephiroth sat there and sipped his juice quietly while Genesis flirted with them. Angeal just shook his head from time to time at the others' behaviors and Zack shoveled food into the vacuum he called a mouth.

"Hey, you're new this year, right?" Cloud froze before turning to find a…. well-endowed girl blinking innocently at him. Unsure of what to do, he cautiously nodded. "That's so cool. I'm Tifa! Everyone already knows your name. Cloud, right?" Again the uncertain teen nodded. "Hey, you know you're a lot cuter up close. Well, I was just wondering if you were free today. My friends are throwing a back to school party at this club that just opened. It'd be awesome if you could come." By now, the other four at the table had stopped what they were doing and three out of four were openly glaring at the girl.

"I have to work tonight," Cloud told the hopeful girl curtly, before turning back to the table. Tifa visibly wilted but managed to smile.

"Oh, I see. Maybe next time, yeah? Bye." As soon as she was out of sight, Genesis and Zack burst out laughing.

"You're the best, Cloud. Hahaha…. Turning down cow-tits like that! I don't think any guy has ever been so straight up with her before…" Genesis wheezed. Zack just laughed harder. Angeal frowned as was expected but stayed silent since he was secretly pleased, as well. Sephiroth smirked.

Cloud watched them with a raised brow. "But I do have work today. I don't understand." This time, even Angeal couldn't keep quiet. The table exploded into laughter while a confused Cloud just looked back and forth at the teens. When they finally managed to calm down, Zack asked the question they had all been pondering.

"Don't worry about it. Anyways, where do you work, Cloud?" Immediately, Cloud became suspicious.

"Why?"

"Well, we're friends right? Friends usually tell each other that kind of stuff." Cloud tilted his head again.

"Friends? What use are they?" he asked. When he seemed completely serious, Zack gaped at him.

"Seriously? You've never had friends before? I mean there must have been someone," he prodded. Cloud just raised a brow.

"I do not recall ever associating with others unless it was necessary before this, with the exception of my siblings of course. It is simply illogical," he said coldly.

"Well, friends are there when you are sad or lonely. They cheer you up. But they're also people you can trust and keep close to your heart. You share secrets and have fun together. Sometimes you fight, but you love them anyways."

Cloud was silent for a moment as he seemed to digest this new information. While he did that, the four teens glanced at each other, an entire conversation hidden within the silent looks.

It was obvious, now, that Cloud had absolutely no knowledge of how relationships and society seemed to work. He didn't know what friends were and he was brutally straightforward when it came to his views of others. They were interrupted when Cloud finished thinking.

"So they're like lovers?" he asked. Genesis shook his head.

"They're like a step under that. Not as close but sometimes, you need a friend more than a lover." Cloud seemed even more bewildered at this.

"Nevermind that, for now. What's your job? And don't try to wiggle out of this," Genesis warned. Cloud seemed to notice them again and looked up.

"I work as…. a bartender most of the time? And sometimes a DJ or bouncer depending on what the boss wants me to do," he answered.

"….. Bartender? Bouncer? Okay the DJ one I can believe but the others? Aren't you a bit young to be a bartender? And I don't really think you have the muscles for a bouncer… No offense." Genesis snorted. Cloud seemed thoroughly confused.

"Why not? Reno's even thinner than I am and he's just fine," Cloud returned.

"Reno? You mean Reno Sinclair?" Angeal burst out. "You can't hang around him! He's famous at Neo Midgar High for being violent and a womanizer!" Once again, the lesson was lost on Cloud who didn't see the problem with having acquaintances like Reno.

"Well I don't believe you yet. Can we drop by and see?" Zack pleaded.

"I believe the age requirement is twenty one to get in."

"… Then how come you got hired?"

"…. I pulled a favor from the owner. He owes me a bit for something in the past," Cloud muttered. At this, Zack brightened.

When the lunch bell rang, Cloud found himself wondering how Zack had managed to convince him…..

**AN:** Yeah, kinda awkward this chapter. Oh well, I'm tired. I didn't really know what I wanted Cloud's job to be but this seemed like an okay idea… I changed the bird last chapter so check if you didn't get the memo. School's starting next week so expect updates to slow down. Sorry. Hope this chapter wasn't as awkward and terrible as I thought…. I'm tired and I refuse to read this over at this time. I'll get around to it if you guys think there's anything **big **that needs to be fixed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I only own my ideas and my little plot bunnies.

Chapter 4

The front was crowded. The club was relatively new and insanely popular so it was naturally an exclusive place; it was extremely difficult to get in without knowing someone. It was just bad luck that Reno was at the door that night.

"Alright ladies, names and a good reason why the hell I should let a bunch of kids like you in," the redhead smirked.

"A friend of ours works here and we wanted to check it out? Wait, how come we're kids? I'm pretty sure we're the same age. You're that delinquent/playboy from Neo High," Zack pouted.

"Yeah, nice try. You wouldn't believe how many times I've heard that one. And suck it up, yo. I work here and you don't so you're naturally the kids. It doesn't matter if I'm your age."

"That doesn't make any sense….." Angeal muttered.

"Sure it does. Besides, I have more life experience. Now are you gonna leave? Vince and Tseng get pissy when they think I'm not doing my job." Reno waved his EMR threateningly. Sephiroth and Genesis narrowed their eyes and were about to argue when a hand clamped on Reno's shoulder.

"Cloud!" Zack cried. Cloud glanced in his direction before letting out a breath that wasn't quite a sigh.

"They're with me, Reno." Reno gaped for a moment before smirking.

"People you know? Huh, I don't think I've ever seen you with anyone before. Aw, looks like my little Cloudy is growing up and out of that terrible emo, loner stage." Reno brought up his hand to brush away an imaginary tear. Cloud watched Reno's performance quietly before leaning up to whisper something the others couldn't quite catch in the jokester's ear. Reno abruptly paled before backing away with narrowed eyes. "You wouldn't… Would you?"

"What do you think?" Reno sighed at the answer and turned back to the crowd waiting to get in.

"You break my heart, Cloudykins."

"You gave that away a long time ago, Reno."

"So why don't you return it?" he joked with a seductive look. Zack pretended to gag behind Angeal.

xox

The inside of the club was quite nice. Thanks to the intimidating bouncers, there weren't any fights or arguments. It wasn't very crowded, either, since they had such an exclusive group of customers. Zack whistled

"Damn, you work at a cool place." Cloud shrugged before stopping and turning to face them.

"I have bar duty tonight. Don't make problems and don't talk too much to the workers here. They're not people you want to associate with." With that said, Cloud faded into the crowd, only to reappear behind the counter of the bar on the side of the club.

"Uh, wasn't the whole point of this to get to see Cloud?" Zack wondered. Genesis shrugged.

"We can bother him later, then. Let's look around." They explored the bottom floor before Sephiroth found the stairs to the upper floors.

"Seph? Where're you going?" Sephiroth pecked Angeal on the cheek to appease him before turning and heading up. Angeal sighed when Genesis and Zack wandered up as well before following his curious lovers.

"There's only, like, doors up here. Probably for people who want some action and can't wait till they get home," Genesis remarked, his answer immediately pointing to sex.

"May I help you?" a quiet voice interrupted. They whirled around to find a Wutainese man with dark eyes watching them warily.

"Uh, we were just looking around."

"I don't think I've seen you before. And I know all of our customers at least by appearance," he told them. Genesis shrugged.

"We're new? Cloud let us in."

"Strife? That changes things. Welcome." The four teens exchanged looks. It seemed like Cloud was pretty influential here. "This floor is for business transactions. I'm afraid you can't stay here, but feel free to enjoy yourselves downstairs." The man nodded curtly before gesturing to the stairs.

"Thank you. I'm Angeal, by the way. This is Zack, Genesis, and Sephiroth."

"… I am Tseng. And I'll make sure to remember your names." Tseng answered. Once the teens made it back downstairs, they turned to find that Tseng was gone.

"Wow, he's way creepy," Zack commented. Genesis rolled his eyes.

"Thank you, Sherlock. I'm astounded by your use of vocabulary and your eloquence," he muttered. Zack ignored the huffy redhead and made his way to the bar.

"Hey, Cloudy! You don't look very busy to me," he said brightly. Cloud glanced at him while finishing the drink he was working on. After sliding it down, he faced them with a questioning (for Cloud) look.

"Is this all you do? I mean, doesn't seem very hard to me. You're just mixing drinks," Zack asked innocently. Angeal shook his head while Genesis and Sephiroth chuckled quietly. Cloud looked at them blankly before moving to make another drink. This time, he put in fancy tricks, throwing the bottles around and behind his back. When he finished and slid it down the bar to a customer, he turned to Zack, eyebrow raised in a silent inquiry.

"…. Okay, I'll give you that round." Seemingly satisfied, Cloud went back to ignoring them. Zack laughed before something slammed into his back, pushing him to the floor.

"What the hell?" he yelped.

"You! Thanks to you, I lost three girlfriends already. You know what they all said? 'Genesis-sama is better. Sorry'. Sorry my ass! Give me back my girlfriends!" a man raged at Genesis. When Genesis just smirked, he grabbed the teen by the collar and made to punch him. Bracing himself, Genesis closed his eyes…. Only, he didn't get hit. When he opened his eyes, he found Cloud holding the fist.

"No violence in the club," he murmured.

"No violence? That ain't violent. This is!" The abandoned ex-boyfriend of Genesis' fans dropped the redhead and threw another fist. Cloud ducked before pulling the man forward to punch him in the gut.

"I'll repeat, sir. No violence in the club," he told the wheezing drunk.

"Shut up!" The man threw a sloppy punch. Cloud actually sighed before sidestepping. When the man stumbled, he pulled his knee up into the man's stomach, simultaneously driving an elbow into his back. Sephiroth, Angeal, Genesis, and Zack watched with awe as Cloud efficiently knocked the man unconscious.

"I'll take him out," a big, bald teen in a suit identical to Reno's grumbled. Cloud nodded and picked up the drunk like he weighed no more than a child.

"Thanks, Rude." After Rude left, Zack jumped Cloud.

"You're damn stronger than you look, you know that?" Zack growled playfully and ruffled Cloud's hair. Sephiroth and Angeal shook their heads together and dragged to deranged puppy off the smaller boy. As soon as Zack was off, Genesis slung an arm around Cloud's shoulders.

"Thank you," Genesis murmured before swooping down to press his lips against Cloud's. "See you at school!" he laughed before dragging the others out of the club. Cloud tilted his head, confused, before shrugging and turning to get back to work. He didn't notice a teen watching the entire thing from across the club.

**AN:** Ugh School is coming up…. I should be studying for a test I have tomorrow at my afterschool/summer school/academy thing but I don't want to. I should also prepare for school but I _really_ don't want to…. Sigh…. Anyways, here's a new chapter for you guys. I didn't look this over so there might be a few mistakes….. Oh well. Have fun with this


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Look at previous chapters. It's basically the same for the entire story anyways.

Chapter 5

The school was buzzing with gossip. As soon as four certain students stepped inside the place, they were approached. Even the intimidating Sephiroth, who everyone preferred to watch from afar rather than incite his wrath, was bombarded with questions and pleads.

"Is it true? Are you guys really accepting a new lover?"

"Why him? I love you!"

"Get out of the way! So is it really him?"

Angeal shook his head and sighed. Sephiroth, feeling a bit unnerved at the lack of intimidation in the fearless crowd, actually tried to move behind the other as if to hide. Of course, Genesis was just lapping up all the extra attention, happily telling misleading lies and smirking like there was no tomorrow. Zack joined Sephiroth in the safety of Angeal.

"Wait! There he is!"

Alarmed, the blond who had just arrived looked up as a literal wave of students made its way in his direction.

"Hey! You're the new kid, right?"

"Why you?"

"Is it true? Is it true?"

The poor blond turned to the only people he really knew at the school for answers. They only had time to mouth 'sorry' before he was overcome. The questions continued and the students refused to let their prey go. For a few minutes, Cloud actually managed to keep his cool exterior and ignore the others…. but only for a little while. Startling all of them, the usually even-tempered teen snapped.

"Shut up! You're giving me a headache! I have no idea what you're talking about, you weak-minded fools!" he roared. The crowd fell silent in surprise, the four school idols staring blankly at the unusual outburst of emotion.

Meanwhile, Cloud was silently lamenting his lack of fortune. 'Oh no. I sounded to that evil bastard for a moment. I hope nothing else rubbed off on me. Did I really say that out loud? Oh sweet Gaia, what did I do? What did I ever do to deserve this kind of thing? Whatever I did, I swear it wasn't my fault.' Mentally shaking his head, he looked around. The students weren't yelling anymore. In fact, they weren't even whispering. The school grounds were completely silent. Cloud's cold exterior had become quite famous in the few days he was at school. In fact, he had a new nickname he was not aware of: Ice Prince. Everyone knew prying words from his was harder than trying to start a conversation with Sephiroth. It was naturally a surprise when one of the most silent people in the school actually spoke up. It was even more startling since he had raised his voice. The bell chimed quietly over the grounds. Taking advantage of the bell, Cloud swiftly schooled his expression and slipped away to class.

The crowd broke apart after Cloud disappeared. People separated in small clumps, a few brave souls discussing the new development. The rest shivered at the cold rage they had heard in their resident Ice Prince's voice and chose to stay silent.

"…. Damn. Didn't know Cloudy had it in him," Zack commented. Angeal snorted.

"Of course he lost his temper. I don't even know how he managed to ignore the crowd in the beginning. Even Sephiroth tried to hide," he said drily. "We've also been putting some pressure on him. From what I've gathered, he's pretty much the silent lone wolf type. Remember he didn't even know what friends were for?" The group fell silent at this revelation.

"… I guess we were being a bit overbearing. And it's obvious he doesn't like having the spotlight. Maybe I shouldn't have kissed him last night," Genesis worried.

"What's done is done. Let's go. We're going to be late," Sephiroth murmured.

**xox**

All throughout the morning, Zack and Genesis gave Cloud the best kicked puppy look they had. The blond raised an eyebrow in question at some point but when the looks just intensified, he settled for pretending they didn't exist. The looks coming from his classmates were a bit harder to ignore, though. Students kept shooting him little looks. Some were jealous while others were merely curious. The curious stares were the worst, though. Those eyes made him feel like he was back _there_. They had always watched him carefully, the bitches, recording his behavior for some future tortu- aaand he was not going there right now.

Unfortunately for him, the bell decided to ring and the student were set free for lunch. He had planned on following the rest of the class out the door at the very end of the group but he was forced to revise his plan when the troublesome foursome and a few irritatingly curious students decided they wanted to chat. He stuffed his books in his bag before taking off, walking as fast as he dared. He slipped into the crowd, hoping for some escape. 'Where is the most isolated location in this hell?' He mentally looked over the map he had seen on his first day. It was times like this that made him thankful for his photographic memory. Back _there_, not so much…. aaand not going there again. Right. 'The rooftop, likely to be populated and risk of easy ambush since there was only one exit; the school pond, too populated (again) and noisy; the empty space behind the school, not very widely known and easy escape: perfect' he concluded. He thought there was a tree there as well. Shade was good. He slid against the wall and disappeared into the shadows. It was times like this that made him _slightly_ grateful for his _training._

**xox**

"Where the hell did he go? He was right there!" Zack yelped. Sephiroth glanced around. It was true. The conspicuous blond was nowhere to be found but Sephiroth was sure he had seen him only seconds ago. Genesis moaned about his bad luck and how he should have been more careful. The Silver Demon rolled his eyes and discretely put an arm around the redhead's waist.

"Don't worry. He just needs some time alone," Sephiroth assured. Genesis glanced at him, unsure, but nodded anyways.

"Nooooo! My little Chocobo!" Zack cried. Angeal sighed at his lover.

"It sounds like he's a little stuffed Chocobo you lost at the playground."

Genesis smirked. "See? Even Angeal thinks you should grow up pup." Zack howled in rage, puppy pouncing Angeal for his betrayal. Sephiroth smiled gently, amused by his lovers' antics. It was times like this that reminded him that not everything was so bad. Sure his home wasn't the best but he had three understanding lovers who could cheer him up, no matter how gloomy he felt after a sugar high. He wondered if Cloud had anything like this.

The loner had a family but he was always distant. He seemed to care for his brothers but it wasn't the same as a lover's feelings. It was obvious he had been forced to mature unusually fast, explaining his dislike to rely on others. The Ice Prince didn't know what it was like to have someone close to him. No friends, no boyfriends. Not even a girlfriend, although that word honestly just creeped Sephiroth out. What was it like being alone your entire life? Didn't it hurt? Sephiroth clearly remembered when he was like that, although he wasn't as extreme as the frozen Chocobo, and he had been dying in his isolation. The pressure and stress of having no one to rely was overwhelming.

"…eph. Hey, Seph! You need more candy? You're blanking out more than usual," Zack informed him, pushing his face into Sephiroth's. Sephiroth blushed a little before coughing self-consciously and backing away.

"It's nothing. Just thinking." Angeal looked at him oddly. Sephiroth shook his head and turned away. "We should go. We only have little bit of time left." Genesis exchanged a worried glance with Angeal but followed him to the cafeteria.

Sephiroth mentally sighed. He really was falling for the little blond, wasn't he?

**AN:** Don't kill me! I swear, I was busy with school and didn't have enough time to finish this. Ugh Updates are definitely going to slow down. I was thinking maybe I'll update each every other week since I don't really have the patience or attention span to write two chapters for two different fics in one day. Anyways, sorry for the delay and hope this chapter doesn't suck Ifrit's balls. Is it just me or are the characters just getting more and more out of… character? Didn't really look it over again so there might be a few mistakes….. ehehehe


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything but my little whimsical ideas…. Crap….

Chapter 6

The sky had always relaxed Cloud. He had been successful in his escape and now lay on one of the higher branches of the sakura tree in the school's abandoned backyard, watching the sky. The wind tousled his hair, playfully tugging and pulling. The corner of his mouth twitched in amusement when a little bird landed on his chest, looking at him curiously. It hopped closer to his face and tilted its head, trying to figure out what this strange creature was. This time, he let a small smile tug at his lips. Unfortunately, Fate decided it was bored and wanted to spit in his face.

"Hey, pretty boy. What the hell you doing up there, huh, Ice Prince?"

Cloud lazily tilted his head to see his antagonists more clearly. He wasn't very impressed with what he saw. A brunet with rippling muscles stood under him, cracking his knuckles threateningly. Cloud didn't even bother glancing at the followers.

"I'm talkin ta ya! Get down here. I want ta have a little chat."

'Ah, the sky was such a wonderful color today' Cloud idly thought to himself. He reached up with his left hand to gently stroke the bird's head. A sudden gleam of silver was all that warned him of the weapon chucked in his direction. The knife hit the wood a few inches above his head, startling the bird. He sighed as he watched it fly away. When it was out of sight, he grabbed the pocket knife and yanked it out.

"… You do know….that this means you were trying to kill me…. And that gives me full permission to return the favor," he informed them. When the muscle head didn't back off, he shook his head in annoyance before calling out again. "May I at least know why you're attacking me? I don't recall speaking with you before." They sneered at the blond.

"You've gotten too close to the school Generals, punk. That's all the reason we need. If ya want to add another one, you blew Tifa off." Cloud didn't remember who exactly Tifa was but he was sure she was unimportant if he didn't remember her. The Chocobo twirled the knife in his hands before shrugging.

"I don't really feel like coming down. Here's a present, though." He licked the blade and let a tiny smirk grace his face before his arm jerked out threw the knife at the muscle head's sleeve, pinning him to the tree. The blade sunk into the wood like butter, wedging itself in the harmless plant. The followers paled when Cloud pulled out one of his personal knives and spun in around on his finger.

"Wh-what are you doing?" an idiot asked. He cocked an eyebrow at them, giving them the hint. He didn't really intend to use it on them, though. Cloud made his weapons himself and tainting the fine blade with their worthless blood wasn't an appealing idea. Luckily they understood the warning and ran off in the other direction. The blond sighed and looked back up at the sky one last time. It was slightly cloudy but it didn't seem likely that it would rain. Then again, the clouds did what they pleased. If they wanted to rain, it would. Cloud hopped down from the tree, ignoring the brunet's curses as he unsuccessfully tried to pull the blade out. When the bell rang, he left for class. The brunet was still stuck.

**xox**

"Hey, Cloud's back! Where were ya?" Zack asked, jumping out of his seat to tackle the blond. The blond dodged the attack and watched as Zack slammed into the closed door behind him. "Aw. Don't be like that, Cloudy," Zack whined, ignoring the large red bump on his forehead. A concerned Angeal sighed at his reckless puppy. Genesis snorted at the idiot. /Doesn't he have any sense of pain? / he wondered. The whispers of the class started up again at the scene but a sharp glare from an irritated Sephiroth shut them up quickly enough. Cloud seemed to notice and shot silver haired teen a glance, showing his thanks…. At least, that's what Genesis thought the look was for. It was difficult reading Cloud.

"You know, since you skipped this lunch, we're going to kidnap you for the next one," Genesis smirked. He laughed when the stoic blond actually winced. "Don't worry. I don't bite without permission." Zack laughed as Angeal smacked his forehead. Genesis would never get sick of the amusing reactions his lovers had.

"Class is starting. Get in your seats, kiddies."

Cloud seemed to be watching him warily as he sat down in the seat in front of him. Genesis nearly laughed out loud. When the blond's back was turned, he scribbled something on a piece of paper and threw it on the Chocobo's desk.

**xox**

A small piece of paper landed on his desk. Cloud glanced at the teacher before discretely opening it. 'Can we visit again? We still need to do the project for the she-demon.' Cloud nodded slightly before turning his attention back to the board.

Another note landed on his desk. 'You working tonight? How long do we have at your place?' He grabbed a pencil and flipped the paper over. He scribbled down that his job started at eight but they could follow and work there if they needed to. He threw it back and looked at the teacher, who was watching him suspiciously, innocently. It wasn't like Tseng and Vincent used all of the rooms on the second floor, anyways. As long as the four teens didn't wander, they would be fine. Cloud mentally halted his thoughts. Why was he being so accepting of their presence? They were starting to become a constant in his life and it hadn't even been a full week since they met….he thought. Either way, those four were worming into his life and he wasn't completely sure if he was angry or pleased. He sighed quietly. It was so hard to understand feelings. It was almost easier as that man's to- and not thinking of that. Right.

Genesis tapped his shoulder. The redhead smiled at him gently while Zack grinned widely. He swiftly turned his head away. Why wouldn't those butterflies in his stomach go away? He was Cloud _Strife_. He didn't do nervous.

**AN:** So….. a new update. I'm sorry it took so long…. It's kinda hard finding time with school…. Oh well. Um I honestly have no idea where this story is going, now. Well, I know where the goal is but I dunno how to get there. Ummmm… Anyways, I started another fic again so the workload is increasing. I know I shouldn't have but it's the bunnies' fault(s)! They follow me everywhere! Well, it's not like I don't like writing either so it's fine, I guess. Have fun!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot bunnies.

Chapter 7

Cid opened the door for the teens. The house was peaceful and quiet this time. For a moment, Zack wasn't sure why it was so until he realized that the demon triplets weren't there.

"Hey, where're your uh siblings?" he wondered. Cloud shrugged and glanced at Cid for the answer.

"The brats said there was some kinda party or something. Apparently, _they_ get along with their classmates just fucking fine." Cloud ignored the jab and headed further into the house. Irritated at being brushed off, Cid thought for a moment before grinning evilly. "Why don't ya work in your room?" he asked Cloud sweetly. The four lovers leapt on the idea.

"Yeah! I wanna see your room!" Zack cheered.

"I admit that I'm a bit curious as well," Sephiroth added. Genesis just grabbed Angeal and headed upstairs.

"Hm. Which one do you think is our little blond's room?" Genesis muttered. Angeal immediately pointed to the plain white door at the end of the hallway. The rest of the doors had various stickers and posters tacked on while the plain door nearly faded into the wall with its bland looks.

"Good job, Angeal!" Zack kissed Angeal lightly on the cheek and bounded forward. Genesis just patted him on the back before following the puppy. They flung the door open just as Cloud ascended the stairs. Zack paused.

The room was ridiculously plain. The walls as well as the carpet and ceiling varied between pure black and pure white. Only a bed and a simple table with stacks of paper and a laptop were visible. There was a closet door next to the table and another door Zack assumed led to the bathroom. All in all, the room held nothing but the most basic of necessities.

"Uh, you really need some color in here," Zack managed. Cloud shrugged and walked over to his laptop.

"Just sit somewhere and don't break anything." Genesis elected to sit on the bed. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that there were…..feathers scattered on the sheets. They weren't a design. No, they were honest to Gaia feathers.

"..."

Zack walked over to see what had Genesis so quiet.

"..."

"Are these feathers real, Cloud?" Distracted, the blond looked up with a tiny scowl. Surprised, Sephiroth joined them to see the feathers for himself.

"So?" Cloud looked at them oddly as if it was normal to have feathers in your bed. Zack shook his head quickly and yelped that it was nothing before sitting carefully on the bed. Genesis picked one up for inspection while Sephiroth elected to stay standing. Meanwhile, Angeal stood next to Cloud, looking over some of the files on the desk.

Many were decorated with a black wolf insignia and stamped 'TOP SECRET'. Making sure Cloud wasn't looking, he casually grabbed one of the files and slid it in his bag. It was dishonorable but it would be worth it if it had some information on the mysterious blond. Admittedly, it was something Zack or Genesis would have done. Perhaps he had been spending too much time with them? He shuddered at the thought of becoming a hyperactive, Loveless-obsessed puppy. He made a mental note to warn Sephiroth of the possible infection.

"Computer's up." Angeal snapped out of his thoughts and tried not to look too guilty. Fortunately, Sephiroth walked over and draped himself over Cloud, effectively distracting the little teen. Genesis looked surprised. Sephiroth didn't like people touching him and vice versa. He only did this around his three boyfriends. It was pretty obvious he had accepted Cloud into the group and was planning on keeping him.

"What are you doing?" Cloud asked to silver haired teen. Sephiroth just rested his chin on Cloud's spikes. They were surprisingly soft and fluffy. He informed the blond that it made a good pillow. Cloud looked unsure if he should be offended or thankful so he settled on giving them a weird look before going back to his laptop. "We have approximately four and a half hours until we have to head for the club. I would prefer it if I finished the research now and you worked on the report and visuals later. We can take a break in two and a half hours." When everyone either nodded or shrugged, Cloud got to work. Bored, Genesis dropped the white feather on the black carpet and looked around the room. Unfortunately, the room was worse than the feather. There were no colors, no posters, and no decorations. Hell, there wasn't even a photo! He couldn't bother the Chocobo since he was doing the research for the project and he couldn't flirt with anyone since it would inevitably turn into a make out session. He couldn't do that while Cid was probably standing right outside the door, listening. Admittedly, he usually annoyed Angeal when he was doing the researching but Angeal didn't have a killer death glare that made his skin itch and burn slightly like Cloud.

Zack's thoughts were heading in the same direction but he couldn't do anything either. The last time he had irritated Sephiroth while he had been focusing on something, the teen had withheld sex for fucking half a _month_! Who did that anyways? Sephiroth seemed pretty focused right now, but not on the research. It seemed that Cloud's hair was really soft and comfortable. Sephiroth had a drowsy look on his face and his arms were wrapped around the Chocobo's shoulders. Cloud didn't seem to notice.

**xox**

Cloud felt like his face was on fire! He was ignorant when it came to human interaction but he knew that he was enjoying the contact with Sephiroth. The teen was warm and solid, giving him a feeling of security. He honestly hoped that no one could hear his heart. It was abnormally fast to begin with but it was even faster now. Sephiroth shifted on his head and he heard the other inhale his scent.

Oh sweet Gaia. He wasn't sure if he wanted this to end or continue forever. He glanced at the little clock on his laptop. It had been less than ten minutes! If Sephiroth stayed like this the entire time, he was going to turn into a puddle of Cloud. Why wouldn't these feelings stop?!

**AN:** Woot! New chapter….. But you knew that. Only two reviews last chapter but oh well. I loved them anyways. Anyways, I really should get a schedule for these things. I suck at keeping promises with myself…. I wasn't supposed to update but I couldn't help it. Ugh. Whatever. Have fun with this!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** If I owned FF7, there would be a lot more BL…

Chapter 8

It had been an hour and Sephiroth still hadn't moved! Cloud shifted slightly, hoping Sephiroth would stop hugging him. Admittedly, it was warm and nice being held, but his heart was going to give out soon if this didn't stop! Memories surfaced and images of scalpels and surgical gloves and green fluttered at the corners of his eyes. Sephiroth let out another hair-ruffling breath but he didn't budge. There was something of a pattern after that.

Shift, breathe, ruffle, twitch, repeat.

Soon, Cloud gave in and spoke up. "I need to use the restroom."

Okay, perhaps that hadn't been the most elegant excuse but it surprised Sephiroth enough that Cloud was able to escape. He nearly ran into his bathroom, slamming the door behind him. The noise attracted Cid, who opened the door and peered into the room of bemused teens.

"Alright, who kept touching him?"

xoxoxox

It turned out that Cloud had a mild case of chiraptophobia. Cid explained that he had experienced a lot as a child and developed this curious fear of being touched. He was fine for a bit when it was his brothers and could stand perhaps a few minutes of being touched by familiar people but he couldn't take long periods of contact. All eyes flew to Sephiroth who looked a bit guilty but not all that repentant. To Cid's surprise and mirth, Sephiroth replied, "Then we'll just have to cure him of that, won't we?"

Cid left soon after and Cloud reappeared from the bathroom. Genesis was immediately all over the Chocobo.

"I heard you have chiropti- uh something like that. Did Sephiroth traumatize you? Are you in pain? Do you need me to punish Sephiroth?" Cloud just stared back at the excitable redhead. Zack looked like he wanted to join but Angeal kept a firm hand on the puppy's shoulder.

"What kind of punishment did you have in mind, Gen?" Sephiroth purred, his eyes never leaving Cloud. Genesis smirked and whispered something in Cloud's ear. The teen blinked once, twice before his mouth opened in a perfect 'o'. Sephiroth watched the pair with amusement. Whatever Genesis had told the teen had frozen his brain. Zack bounded forward and waved a hand in front of Cloud's face. The poor Chocobo didn't even twitch. Sephiroth grinned.

"Seph….." Angeal watched his lover uneasily. Sephiroth rarely grinned like that and it usually meant something was going to happen. He was proved correct when Sephiroth moved forward and whispered something in Genesis' ear. Oh, Gaia help them all. Sephiroth _and_ Genesis in a playful mood was just pure destruction waiting to happen. Angeal still remembered that one morning when he had woken up in the bathroom covered in pink lollipops and whipped cream feeling like his head was going to explode.

Meanwhile, Sephiroth had leaned down to look Cloud in the eyes and Genesis had his arms ready to grab the Chocobo's waist. Sephiroth glanced at Genesis before he moved forward to let his lips touch Clouds.

He pressed lightly at first. Genesis had wrapped his arms around Cloud and was having too much fun feeling the teen tense at the kiss. When Cloud's eyes just widened, Sephiroth smirked and pressed harder, the innocent kiss becoming needier. Angeal really thought Cloud's eyes were going to pop out of his head. Zack actually looked pretty similar to Cloud, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping at the view. He nearly chuckled when he saw the puppy reach up to wipe away his drool. It was understandable, though. Sephiroth was really giving them a show. The sight of Genesis feeling Cloud up just made it better.

Sephiroth's tongue had slipped into Cloud's mouth and was exploring the hot cavern. He twisted his tongue around Cloud's and rubbed gently. When he finally pulled away, Genesis let go as well. The moment was ruined when a loud shout tore through the room.

"Nii-san! What are you doing to our nii-san?!"

The triplets stood in the doorway, their faces twisted in horror. Kadaj and Yazoo hurled themselves at the frozen statue that was Cloud and tried to get him to respond. Loz elected to attack the pair that had just molested his older brother.

"I'll kill you!"

For someone so big and muscular, Loz was a quick little fucker. Sephiroth barely dodged the first punch and Genesis got a knee in his gut. Kadaj and Yazoo looked like they wanted to join but, luckily, Cloud snapped out of his trance. He was a blur as he shot forward, grabbing Loz's fist with one hand and holding Genesis upright with the other. He quickly let go of Genesis when Angeal come forward to hold him but he didn't release Loz's hand.

"Calm down." The order was quiet but firm, demanding that he was understood.

"But nii-san!" A glance was shot in Kadaj's direction, effectively shutting him up as well.

"This was…. I don't know what this was but I'm inclined to believe it was prank of some sort. Calm down. I need to leave for work soon and finish my research so I'd appreciate it if there were no more distractions." The last statement was directed at all of them, warning them that he was not in the mood for any more fucking around. It was just too bad, Genesis mused. He had really liked the feeling of Cloud under him. Sephiroth's thoughts were heading in a similar direction.

xoxoxox

Cloud prayed to Shiva that his voice was firm. He really didn't need anyone to notice the tremor in him at the…..kiss. When he managed to get the triplet's out of his room, he sighed and sat down at his laptop, carefully eying to other teens, Sephiroth and Genesis in particular as they were the ones who had molested him. Zack brushed away another trail of drool and blushed before looking away. He was just glad that Angeal wasn't looking at him either. He didn't think he could stand any more of that unfamiliar burning in his stomach and face. His face turned bright red when Genesis winked at him. Oh Gaia, he needed a break.

**AN:** I have school tomorrow so I really need to sleep but here I am, updating for you right before I gotta go. Meh. Well, I dunno how this chapter really turned out but I'm hoping it wasn't toooooo bad… Oh yeah, I got a lot of reviews (in my opinion) for that last chapter so I was really happy. :) Have fun with this chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything you may or may not recognize in this fic. All I have is my plot bunny.

Chapter 9

The club was loud and packed tonight. Cloud mentally groaned and led the others through the pulsing mass of bodies. He quickly located Vincent and Tseng at the back of the club, speaking quietly with a 'customer'.

"Tseng. Vincent. I need a room upstairs during my shift." Ruby red and coal black shifted onto his form and widened.

"You need a room? I thought you weren't getting into our business?" Tseng asked surprised. Vincent tilted his head at the request, silently asking the same question.

"They need a place to do our project while I work," he informed them. Tseng narrowed his eyes at the teens behind the blond but Vincent nodded.

"Go ahead. Room 4 is free."

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Zack whistled lowly. The room was deep burgundy with traces of black and the interior was spacious. The furniture looked expensive and there was a glass cabinet stocked with plenty of liquor. A skinned albino tiger lay in the center of the room as a furry rug. There was even a king sized bed pushed into the corner. All in all, the room looked like it belonged to a rich alcoholic.

"So what do you use these rooms for? Living space for workers?" Genesis wondered sarcastically. Cloud paused, holding his laptop and cords halfway out of his bag. He placed them on the table and shrugged before answering.

"This room has no particular purpose. Yes it can be rented out to employees but it is also used for 'business transactions' and such. It could alternately be used as an interrogation room. There are various hidden rooms and items."

Zack looked excited and peered around the room before Cloud interrupted.

"I don't recommend it. You can get lost and hurt in the rooms. Like I said, this room has many purposes. I don't suggest you explore those purposes," he told them, his face serious. "Stay in this room and don't open any of the doors. If you need a bathroom, use the one downstairs. Reno and Rude may come in to check up on you per Tseng's orders but don't get into an argument with them. They'll try to start a fight and there's no way for you to win if they get serious."

Sephiroth raised his eyebrow at the challenge but didn't say anything. From what he had seen so far, Cloud was usually accurate in his predictions and if he was warning them not to fight Reno and Rude then he would do well to listen. Angeal nodded and assured Cloud that they would focus on nothing but their work and stay in the room. Cloud shot Genesis and Zack a suspicious look before wiping the expression from his face.

"I'll be back in two hours to see how you're doing." The Chocobo looked like he wanted to say more but he just turned and left.

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"I need to talk to you guys about something," Angeal announced. Three pairs of curious eyes fixed on him. "First of all, no cracks about dishonorable behavior. Second, I may have 'borrowed' one of the files on Cloud's desk." All three stared dumbly for a moment before Zack pounced on him.

"Well? Why are we just standing around? Let's look!" He dug around in Angeal's bag and soon let out a 'Hah!' in triumph. Genesis eagerly grabbed the file and danced out of reach from the puppy. Zack cried out in outrage and jumped for the file. Sephiroth silently smirked at Angeal before grabbing the file from the flailing Genesis.

"Hush, pups."

Genesis and Zack looked affronted but a gentle kiss from Sephiroth to each appeased them. Angeal smiled at their antics before turning his attention to the file with the wolf head on the cover. Sephiroth slowly opened the file.

The first few papers held charts and complicated diagrams. There were a few DNA models and odd equations scattered about. Sephiroth quickly lost interest and moved onto the next bunch of papers. This time, the papers were covered with notes about the planet. They described the planet as a sentient being capable of…..something. The four teens didn't really understand. Sephiroth shuffled through those papers swiftly. There were only two papers left and they looked like they had been torn out of a journal. The writing was messy and cramped, completely different from Cloud's elegant scrawl.

'_Date of Entry: ?/?/?_

_The specimen reacted wonderfully to the new substance; the screams it elicited made the process so much sweeter than usual (I believe I will have to use the mako more often). The irritating Cetra was useful for something it seems. Specimen C took to the mako quickly, his blood accepting the mako much faster than expected. The genes mutated and the J cells seem to encourage the mutation. The blood of the planet, when accepted into the body, seems to enhance everything. The specimen's strength, speed, etc increased exponentially but its mind seems more fragile than usual. Bah. No matter. My perfect Specimen C does not need its emotions hindering it. Admittedly, I must look deeper into this. I can't have the mako ruining Specimen C's thinking processes. I noticed –_ "

They were interrupted when someone knocked on the door. Angeal grabbed the file and stuffed it back in his bag. Sephiroth was deep in thought and didn't move for the door although he was closest. Zack looked at his lovers uncertainly but Genesis furiously wrenched the door open.

"What the hell do you want? We're in the middle of something!" he growled. The other redhead at the door smiled innocently and lifted his hands in the universal gesture of surrender.

"Just curious what you're doing, yo. And why Cloud bothers with you morons." Reno's smile sharpened and Angeal swore he saw a spark of electricity fly from Reno. "I mean, no offense, but you guys aren't really good enough for him. There's no need to follow him around like lost strays."

"…" The bald man was silent.

"What the fuck? Are you fucking retarded? Why does Cloud bother with us? Um, maybe Cloud likes us?! I'm sure we're better company than you little shits. You have no right so say crap about us, Reno. Besides, who's the one following Cloud around? We have a project and we have a legitimate reason to hang around Cloud. Maybe even flirt since we're friends. You're just a coworker and a pretty shitty one!" Genesis was nearly frothing after his rant. Zack stepped up menacingly beside the other and the other two readied themselves for a confrontation.

"Do you really think Cloudy thinks of you as friends, yo?" Reno sneered. "Anyways, today was just a warning. Cloud's not yours, yo. Keep it up and I'll rip your balls off." Genesis and Zack snarled while Sephiroth and Angeal bristled.

"You little – "

"What are you doing? I've been away for perhaps less than an hour." Cloud looked the group over and raised an eyebrow. Once he affirmed that no one was injured, he shot a frozen glare in Reno's direction. "And why are you here? You're still on bouncer duty so get out." Reno glowered at the teens in the room before smiling charmingly at the blond.

"Whatever you say, yo. Just having a friendly chat." He brushed gently past the silent blond and left.

"Cloud! Reno was being a total dickwad!" Zack cried. He glomped said teen who surprisingly accepted the hug.

"Ignore Reno, Zack. Now get working. I can already guess exactly how much work you've gotten done." Zack beamed up at Cloud before pecking him on the cheek.

"Mkay!" He bounced back into the room, dragging Angeal with him. Sephiroth looked at the blond with something akin to surprise.

"….." Cloud seemed to be in shock. Genesis chuckled and asked for his kiss. Luckily for the poor Chocobo, Sephiroth ushered the redhead inside.

"We'll work hard, Cloud."

"…"

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**AN:** Oh my god. I can't believe I finally finished this. I'm really sorry that it's so short but I did this all in one sitting so you can't really expect too much. :P I don't know where the Reno scene came from but hope you enjoyed it. I'm trying to start updating again but no promises. Thanks to good music and my superb ability to start not caring about anything and everything when I decide I've had enough (although I'm very slow at getting fed up; too much patience with retards) I'm starting to feel better. Family is still screwing with me but I think I'm getting better at ignoring their bullshit and their criticism. Hope you have fun with this chapter! Please don't hate me for updating so slowly. Btw: I didn't proofread so….


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I'm not amazing enough to own Final Fantasy. The only thing I might possibly own in this fic is the little plot bunny.

Chapter 10

Cloud gently touched the cheek Zack had kissed. The skin was warm and his stomach felt fluttery again. What was this feeling? Had he caught some kind of disease? Cloud vaguely registered that he felt flushed and that the air seemed warmer than usual in the club. He shook his head vigorously to clear his head and headed back downstairs. Still, he couldn't get that feather soft feeling of lips against his skin out of his mind.

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After Cloud left, Angeal grabbed the file from under the bed where it had been stuffed. He flipped through the various documents until he found the ones they had been looking at. His lovers gathered around him to look at the journal entries again.

_-the specimen's skeletal structure seemed to have changed. There are new limbs forming in its back. I think it may be a wing! How wonderful! I must have a look for myself at the growing appendage….._

_I was right! When I performed a dissection of the subject, I found a wing! The limb was covered in blood and the feathers had yet to form but it was there! It was designed to retract into the back along the spine. It's an odd expression of the cells but I suppose it makes sense for a god to have the ability to fly._

_Specimen C refused to scream during the procedure but it just made me want to perfect it more. What a wonderful experiment… Its mind seems to be recovering, though. It seemed to be coherent and understood when I spoke to it after the procedure. It was still weak from the dissection so I didn't get a real response but I could see the pain and comprehension. That's another thing I'll have to work on. Note to self: enhance healing skills further (i.e. faster recovery time) and expression of emotions (i.e. get rid of those pesky things)._

The pages stopped there but it had been more than enough to shock the other into silence. What kind of man could write something like this with such evident glee? How could anyone describe such twisted things with such excitement? Zack was as white as a sheet and gripped Genesis' hand tightly. Genesis was equally pale and squeezed back. Sephiroth looked disgusted and upset. Angeal, himself, was deeply disturbed but was hit with a sudden revelation. Specimen C….. C for what? He had found this file in Cloud's room. He was obviously not this 'Hojo' but why would he have this kind of file on his table? He shuffled through the papers quickly, praying to Genesis' goddess that he was wrong. He frantically scanned the papers front and back (they had neglected to check the backs earlier) until he found what he was looking for. Zack and the others looked at him with confusion when he gripped the paper tightly and growled. Sephiroth gently pulled the paper from the death grip he had on the paper and smoothed it out, holding it out for the others to see.

_Specimen C_

_Gender: Male_

_DOB: August 19, XXXX_

The rest of the paper went on with more personal information and at the bottom there was a picture of a familiar blond. A young Cloud with waist length hair looked at the camera dully, eyes shining unnaturally bright. He was dressed in a too-big hospital gown and stood alone in a small cage. He had a barcode tattooed on his left cheek and a Roman numeral one tattooed on his right bicep. Genesis and the puppy gasped at the young Cloud.

"What…..what the hell is this? Is this…..Cloud?" Zack whispered. Angeal had no choice but to nod.

"It seems like it."

Genesis covered his mouth with both hands. "The psycho fucker was talking about Cloud every time he mentioned…Specimen C?" He squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to let his tears fall. Anger flooded his veins, replacing the sorrow. The furious redhead grabbed a chair and threw it at the wall. Bits of the furniture scattered everywhere. "Damn it! What the fuck?!" Sephiroth grabbed the redhead and pulled him into a hug. The smaller male clutched at Sephiroth desperately. Angeal grabbed Sephiroth's arm to steady himself and pulled Zack into his free arm for a hug.

"We'll confront him when he comes in later," Genesis promised. The others nodded.

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Cloud knocked on the door as a warning before entering. He closed the door behind him and turned to find the normally relaxed group of lovers watching him seriously. He watched them warily, waiting for one to speak.

Angeal came forward with a file he recognized. How had they found it? He took a deep breath to steady himself, bracing himself for the disgusted looks and the abuse sure to come.

"I….found this in your room." Cloud mentally snorted. "Is…is this file….Is it all true?" Cloud took another deep breath. He opened his mouth to speak but Zack beat him to it.

"It _is_ true, isn't it?" Cloud found his voice had abandoned him so he merely nodded. For some reason, the thought of this particular group thinking of him as a freak hurt him more than usual. He closed his eyes and waited for the verbal abuse. To his surprise, warm arms wrapped around his waist gently, instead. The Chocobo's eyes flew open and found Genesis hugging him. The fiery redhead looked him in the eye.

"Why are you afraid?"

"….." Why was he afraid?

"Say something."

"Genesis…"Angeal tried. Genesis shot the raven a look that clearly told him to wait for Cloud's response.

"…..I…..I'm afraid…that you'll….hate me." The quiet voice was full of fear and sorrow. Genesis shook his head and hugged the blond tighter.

"We could never hate you." Before Cloud could respond, he swooped down and pressed his lips to the Chocobo's. The kiss was soft and chaste. To Cloud's disappointment (he had surprisingly found the kiss wonderful), the fireball known as Genesis pulled back soon after. Genesis' next words, however, shook him to his core.

"We love you, Cloud. Will you go out with us?"

**AN:** This is a quicky. I can't write a long AN today but here's a shout out to everyone who reviewed and supported me. THANK YOU! Enjoy the chapter. Btw: no proofread again. :P


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